Foundations of Public Health Practice: Behaviour & Behaviour Change
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Foundations of Public Health Practice: Behaviour & Behaviour Change
This course is part of Foundations of Public Health Practice Specialization
Instructor: Dr Richard J Pinder
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There are 4 modules in this course
The Health Protection course is the third instalment of the wider Foundations of Public Health Practice specialisation from Imperial College London's Global Master of Public Health (MPH). The scope and content of this course has been developed from the ground up by a combined team of academics and practitioners drawing on decades of real-world public health experience as well as deep academic knowledge. Through short video lectures, practitioner interviews and a wide range of interactive activities, learners will be immersed in the world of public health practice.
Designed for those new to the discipline, over three modules (intended for three weeks of learning), learners will become familiar with the scope, theory and implementation of behaviour change in the context of public health practice. The course begins by challenging learners about their preconceptions about healthy and unhealthy behaviour - seeking to contextualise these ideas within the broader public health approach (the first course of this specialisation). The course thereafter swiftly covers the origins of risk communication and behaviour change through the lens of health psychology and classical economics, before introducing ideas of bounded rationality and the genesis of behavioural insights and so-called Nudges. By the end of the course, learners will be fluent with their use of the Behaviour Change Wheel methodology of intervention development and the application of the COM-B framework to a range of target behaviours and behavioural barriers. The subsequent courses of this specialisation will cover health protection before moving into the final (degree learner) course which where learners will focus on developing the core professional skillset that defines public health practitioners - whether in service or academia.
This third course, "Behaviour and Behaviour Change", part of the wider Foundations of Public Health Practice specialisation, is designed to introduce learners to the topic of behaviour and the centrality of behaviour change throughout public health. A very broad lens is cast on behaviour change as the course encompasses everything from clinical intervention up to national-level regulation and legislation. This first module, entitled "Understanding Behaviour" introduces learners to what behaviour means in the context of health improvement, and examines how we interpret risk. We look at risk communication before examining the health psychology literature and three common theories of behaviour: The Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The second lesson examines more modern insights into behaviour through the lens of behavioural economics, examining behavioural insights and the application of nudge-based techniques.
What's included
7 videos8 readings2 assignments3 discussion prompts5 plugins
7 videosβ’Total 27 minutes
- Meet the Team (Optional): Richard Pinderβ’3 minutes
- Meet the Team (Optional): Katharine Colletβ’3 minutes
- Meet the Team (Optional): Talia Boshariβ’4 minutes
- Meet the Team (Optional): Carolyn Sharpeβ’3 minutes
- An introduction to behaviour and behaviour changeβ’2 minutes
- Why is behaviour important in public health?β’6 minutes
- Risk analysis and motivationβ’5 minutes
8 readingsβ’Total 135 minutes
- About Imperial College London & the FPHP Teamβ’5 minutes
- How to be successful in this courseβ’5 minutes
- Grading policyβ’5 minutes
- Glossaryβ’5 minutes
- Thinking about behaviour and how it impacts on healthβ’5 minutes
- An evolution to risk communication and understanding uncertaintyβ’60 minutes
- Framing riskβ’40 minutes
- Conclusionβ’10 minutes
2 assignmentsβ’Total 20 minutes
- Describing behaviour and riskβ’20 minutes
- Describing behaviour and riskβ’0 minutes
3 discussion promptsβ’Total 30 minutes
- Nice to meet you!β’10 minutes
- Why do people make unhealthy choices?β’5 minutes
- An interesting fact in risk communicationβ’15 minutes
5 pluginsβ’Total 40 minutes
- Why do people make unhealthy choices?β’5 minutes
- Resultsβ’5 minutes
- Communicating absolute and relative risksβ’15 minutes
- My preferences in risk communicationβ’5 minutes
- Resultsβ’10 minutes
What's included
5 videos8 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt3 plugins
5 videosβ’Total 23 minutes
- Introducing social norms and the influence of cultureβ’5 minutes
- Nudge: an introduction to behavioural economicsβ’6 minutes
- Nudges in public health practiceβ’5 minutes
- Building nudge into policy: MINDSPACE and EASTβ’5 minutes
- Conclusions to the moduleβ’1 minute
8 readingsβ’Total 155 minutes
- An introduction to behavioural theoriesβ’5 minutes
- Core Theory 1: The Health Belief Modelβ’5 minutes
- Core Theory 2: Social Cognitive Theoryβ’5 minutes
- Core Theory 3: Theory of Planned Behaviourβ’5 minutes
- Quick recap and even more theories of behaviour!β’5 minutes
- Applying behavioural insights to public policyβ’90 minutes
- Applying behavioral insights to public policyβ’30 minutes
- Applying behavioural insights to public policyβ’10 minutes
2 assignmentsβ’Total 65 minutes
- Describing and applying behaviour change modelsβ’40 minutes
- Describing and applying behaviour change modelsβ’25 minutes
1 discussion promptβ’Total 20 minutes
- Applying the MINDSPACE frameworkβ’20 minutes
3 pluginsβ’Total 45 minutes
- Mapping to the Health Belief Modelβ’15 minutes
- Applying behavioural insights to public policyβ’15 minutes
- Applying behavioural insights to public policyβ’15 minutes
This third course, "Behaviour and Behaviour Change", part of the wider Foundations of Public Health Practice specialisation, is designed to introduce learners to the topic of behaviour and the centrality of behaviour change throughout public health. A very broad lens is cast on behaviour change as the course encompasses everything from clinical intervention up to national-level regulation and legislation. This second module, entitled "Analysing behaviour and effecting change" introduces learners to the Behaviour Change Wheel methodology that incorporates the COM-B model of behaviour. Students are guided through the latest approaches to behavioural analysis and evidence-based intervention development. While the module focuses on physical activity, we draw upon a range of other topics from the breadth of public health practice including medicines adherence and school-based interventions.
What's included
7 videos8 readings2 assignments3 discussion prompts2 plugins
7 videosβ’Total 35 minutes
- The Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) methodologyβ’3 minutes
- Stage 1: Mapping the target behaviour against the COM-B domainsβ’7 minutes
- Stage 2a: Identifying intervention functionsβ’5 minutes
- Stage 2b: Selecting policy optionsβ’4 minutes
- BCW methodology in Boston: Stage 1 - analysing the problem using COM-Bβ’6 minutes
- BCW methodology in Boston: Stage 2a - selecting intervention functionsβ’4 minutes
- BCW methodology in Boston: Stage 2b - selecting policy categoriesβ’6 minutes
8 readingsβ’Total 146 minutes
- How to use the Behaviour Change Wheel methodologyβ’60 minutes
- Using the COM-B approach in medicines adherenceβ’45 minutes
- Stage 3: The Behaviour Change Taxonomy (BCT)β’10 minutes
- Reflections on the BCW methodologyβ’5 minutes
- Introduction to the worked exampleβ’10 minutes
- Summary of recommendationsβ’3 minutes
- Reflections on our Boston exampleβ’3 minutes
- Conclusionβ’10 minutes
2 assignmentsβ’Total 55 minutes
- Introducing the behaviour change wheel methodologyβ’15 minutes
- Describing and applying the BCW Methodologyβ’40 minutes
3 discussion promptsβ’Total 90 minutes
- Using the COM-B approach to analyse a target behaviourβ’20 minutes
- Why do some adolescents in Boston undertake low levels of physical activity?β’60 minutes
- Why do some adolescents in Boston undertake low levels of physical activityβ’10 minutes
2 pluginsβ’Total 25 minutes
- Advisory committee: making recommendationsβ’15 minutes
- Advisory committee: making recommendationsβ’10 minutes
This third course, "Behaviour and Behaviour Change", part of the wider Foundations of Public Health Practice specialisation, is designed to introduce learners to the topic of behaviour and the centrality of behaviour change throughout public health. A very broad lens is cast on behaviour change as the course encompasses everything from clinical intervention up to national-level regulation and legislation. This third module, entitled "Theory into practice" builds on learners' existing knowledge of the Behaviour Change Wheel methodology and invites them to undertake their own rapid analysis of a public health problem and propose their COM-B diagnosis and BCW-based intervention via a peer-review exercise.
What's included
2 videos2 readings1 peer review1 discussion prompt
2 videosβ’Total 8 minutes
- Practitioner interview: Sexual health and behaviour changeβ’6 minutes
- Conclusions to the courseβ’1 minute
2 readingsβ’Total 12 minutes
- Introducing the peer reviewβ’2 minutes
- Population brief advice: implementing MECCβ’10 minutes
1 peer reviewβ’Total 60 minutes
- Peer Review: Behaviour Change Wheel methodologyβ’60 minutes
1 discussion promptβ’Total 10 minutes
- Power, authority, and stakeholdersβ’10 minutes
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Reviewed on Apr 21, 2023
Great course. Glad to have access to some information of behavioural insights. Learning in this field can be very pricey.
Reviewed on Jun 25, 2020
I felt this had too much material but not enough assignments. The instructor seemed unsure sometimes in videos.
Reviewed on Jun 23, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed the course and the Behavioral Change Wheel.
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